We Need to Hear It Before We Go!

In her acclaimed 2015 memoir Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl, Carrie Brownstein emphasizes the need for passion in artistic expression. While discussing a certain detached, aloof attitude deemed fashionable in rock circles, she muses, “I don’t understand how someone would not push, challenge, or at least be present, how anyone could get onstage and not give everything.” Brownstein and her musical partner Corin Tucker are still firing on all cylinders, raging against complacency thirty years into Sleater-Kinney’s captivating musical journey.

When Sleater-Kinney took the stage at the Paradise last Sunday night, the sellout crowd eagerly fed off the band’s famous kinetic energy. A refreshingly diverse and inclusive fan base united in their passion for the band, their music and the universal experiences which inform the art. Chatter of recent setlists wove through the crowd before the lights went down. Fans were eager to hear tracks from the newly released Little Rope along with classic favorites and recently revived album cuts, some of which have not been performed in over two decades.

On the current tour, Brownstein and Tucker are augmented by touring drummer Angie Boylan, keyboardist Toko Yasuda and multi-instrumentalist Teeny Lierberson. Since 2019, a rotating cast of supporting musicians have helped flesh out Sleater-Kinney’s sonic vision in live settings to great acclaim.

Since returning from a hiatus in 2015, Sleater-Kinney’s visual show has become more elaborate and dazzling. Ominous red light washed over the stage during the show opener” Hell”, the first song from the new LP. Tucker’s voice rose from a soft croon during the first verse to a melodic shout as Brownstein’s razor-sharp guitar kicked off the chorus. Orange LED’s simulated flames behind the band. The synergy of light and sound continued throughout the evening, accentuating the mood of each song in the set. Red and green flashes synchronized with the feral bridge of “Needlessly Wild” and a deep blue blanketed the band during a pensive but passionate “A Quarter to Three” from 1999’s The Hot Rock. The current tour has brought the first performances of that song since 2000.

The band’s musical power was echoed in their genuine enthusiasm for performing. They have cultivated a unique connection to their audience and each other over the years which only the greatest of acts can sustain. Brownstein’s witty, relatable sense of humor pulled the crowd even closer when she announced that she planned to “make eye contact with everyone in the front row, just to make it awkward”. She proceeded to make prolonged eye contact with the first few rows crowd in silence punctuated only by laughter. Moments later she introduced her father who was in the balcony and flashed a spotlight on him to genuine applause. Tucker asked the audience who was wearing green for St. Patrick’s Day, pointing to her shirt, she described as “green-adjacent”. This passed the test for the Boston crowd.

Sleater-Kinney fans know that the band injects each performance with fiery passion and dynamic expression. On this Sunday night in Boston, one could feel the collective anticipation of a thousand concertgoers each listening in and singing along for a multitude of reasons. Some personal, some universal, but all in accord with a band who speaks multitudes lyrically and musically. A fiery rendition of 2019’s “The Center Won’t Hold” culminated in Brownstein windmilling her Gibson SG behind Tucker’s signature wail. Their conversational vocals and intertwining guitars exemplified a union of passion and musical finesse on an emotional version of “One More Hour”. When the band thundered into “The Fox” from 2005’s The Woods, strobe lights flashed rapidly as Tucker and Brownstein let loose with the most melodic chaos one could dream of from two guitars and vocals. Boylan’s drumming added a heaviness to the music which could be felt physically by anyone in the venue.

During the last chorus of the Sleater-Kinney classic “Modern Girl”, Carrie invited the audience to sing along and at least ninety percent of the floor joined in loudly, again each for their own reason. “My whole life, looked like a picture of a sunny day” sung with a questioning tone and skepticism toward many facets of modern life. The most affecting moment of the performance came during the final chorus of “Untidy Creature”, the closing track from Little Rope. Corin stepped off the stage and stood directly in front of the crowd for the song’s climax. “You built a cage, but your measurement’s wrong” she sang to a crowd listening with silent reverence. All Concertgoers have their vision of what a rock show should look like, but for fans of Sleater-Kinney and many of their peers, moments like this are why we keep coming back.

The triple encore of “Good Things”, “Say It Like You Mean it”, and “Dig Me Out” continued the life-affirming energy of the main set. Resilience, melancholy and punkish energy all combined in the final set which served as a reminder for what draws fans to this legendary band.

Washington State’s own Black Belt Eagle Scout, led by singer-songwriter Katherine Paul opened the show to a warm reception. Their passionate performance was well received by the audience and their musical heroes. Black Belt Eagle Scout contributed an innovative cover of Sleater-Kinney’s “It’s Enough” to Dig Me In a 2022 tribute album containing covers of each track from the iconic 1997 LP Dig Me Out.

Setlist-
1. Hell
2. Needlessly Wild​3. Get Up
4. Bury Our Friends
5. Small Finds
6. The Center Won’t Hold
7. One More Hour
8. Hunt You Down
9. Start Together
10. All Hands on the Bad One
11. Don’t Feel Right
12. A Quarter to Three
13. Hurry on Home
14. Jumpers
15. Six Mistakes
16. Dress Yourself
17. The Fox
18. A New Wave
19. Modern Girl
20. Untidy Creature
Encore
21. Good Things
22. Say It Like You Mean It
23. Dig Me Out